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London’s Jewish community turned out in force for
the Israel Independence Day celebrations at Wembley. The speeches of support
for Israel were followed by a concert, which included Israeli folk songs, a
number of which were on the theme of ‘peace and love’. This was
followed by an audiovisual presentation which began with a bombed out bus and
victims of terrorism lying on the ground. It then showed the Israel Defence
Force (IDF) responding by going into action with tanks and helicopters. As the
pictures of the tanks came on there was a surge of applause from the audience.
The contrast between these two themes spoke to me about the situation now affecting Israel. Almost all Israelis and Jewish people living in the Diaspora want peace. And yet they know that without the tanks and weaponry of the IDF they would be crushed by a vicious terrorism that has no interest in a peaceful settlement of the conflict, but seeks the elimination of Israel.
Where is Israel to put its trust? The ‘partners for peace’ are not very encouraging, whether it is Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority or the Saudis who have launched the latest peace plan. Israel’s army is certainly strong and well equipped, but its ability to act is limited by the chorus of international disapproval it receives, when its actions bring death and destruction to the Palestinians.
God is showing Israel that they need to put their trust in Him. The world cannot offer real peace and they need more than the army to defend them. That is not to say that they should not seek for peace, or have an army, but it does mean that ultimately only the Lord Himself can bring peace and defend His people. As we move towards ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’ (Jeremiah 30) we need to show love to Jewish people and point to the answer in Messiah Jesus. We have noticed a marked increase in the number of Jewish people, including Orthodox Jews, taking the leaflet we produced, ‘Israel’s Crisis – Is there a solution?’
The Bible reveals the Lord as both the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9.6) and a Man of War (Exodus 15.3). Christians are generally happy to think of Jesus as the one who brings peace, but not to think of Him as ‘a Man of War.’ Yet Revelation 19.11-21 shows Him as one who makes war on the forces of Antichrist at the Second Coming. In the end it is the recognition of Jesus as the Messiah, which brings peace and deliverance to Israel (Zechariah 12.10, Matthew 23.39). We value your prayers as we seek to make this message known.